How Things Are
by Ardin
Summary: A moment in life. 'He had never been what she expected.' KIBBS


**How Things Are** By Ardin

Spoilers: Yankee White, but really if you haven't seen the pilot at this point, what the heck is wrong with you?

Disclaimer: DPB owns it all and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be willing to share with the likes of me.

A/N: It's so completely fluffy, but I had to write it. Further explanation at the end.

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He had never been what she expected. Not from that first moment when their eyes met on Air Force One, not through the many years that she had worked with him, and not now, after almost two years of falling asleep in his arms each night. She didn't know why, after so many unexpected turns, she could still be surprised by him. But she could.

She hadn't expected him to leave work almost a full hour before her. Despite their now combined living arrangements, both still drove to work seperately, well aware that they never knew how the day would go. However, they also generally left together, one or the other willingly waiting until both had finished with work for the day.

She hadn't expected the house to be completely dark when she pulled into the drive next to his sedan. Normally he turned on every light he passed on his way through the house, rarely even thinking about turning them off again as he moved from one room to another. It startled her to think that he had left work, but had not come home.

She hadn't expected to find that the light weren't working. Glancing out the window she noticed that the neighbors had power. Flicking yet another switch and still getting nothing, she gave a frustrated sigh, setting her bag down and heading down the hall. They kept candles and flashlights in a hall closet for the occasional winter snowstorm and the power outages that frequently followed.

She hadn't expected the flickering light she'd noticed coming from under the door to the basement. He'd finished his boat almost three months earlier and, after a planning session that made most covert ops look unprepared, they'd gotten it out and safetly down to the marina. He had yet to start a new project, and had not gone down there for several weeks. It was his space, the only part of the house that she wouldn't enter without his presense or permission.

She hadn't expected to find him standing in a well-tailored black suit and tie. He hated getting dressed up, prefering the comfortable slacks and polos he wore to work or the BDU pants and t-shirts that he wore around the house. Despite that he looked incredibly natural, standing with the poise and confidence that always made her smile. So dashing, so charming, and so complete unaware of the fact.

She hadn't expected the tea candles that lit the room. They rested on every available surface, filling the room with a soft, flickering light. She still didn't quite understand what he was doing, but his loving smile calmed her slight worry. The last two years had proved that while it wasn't frequent or perfect, he was cabable of being romantic. Coming to stand in front of him she gave him a gentle grin, silently questioning.

She hadn't expected him to drop to one knee. Or the words after. They had talked about marriage, agreeing that they would take everything slow and would be absolutely sure before jumping in to anything. They had discussed past relationships on both sides, and each understood the other's reluctance to make such commitment.

She hadn't expected her silent, happy tears as she nodded in response. She very much wanted to throw herself into his arms and tell him yes a hundred times, but the words would not come, her happiness so completely overwhelming her.

She hadn't expected him to be so tender as he rose and slowly slid the simple ring on her finger. He kissed her lightly before wrapping her in a tight embrace. His whispered 'I love you' only made her cry more, but she responded in kind as he wiped the tears away with his thumbs.

She hadn't expected any of it, but she was more than willing to except it. Because despite all their differences, the mistakes of the past, and the uncertainty of the future, she was quite sure that they could get through anything that was thrown at them. She knew she couldn't anticipate everything in life no matter how hard she tried and the proof of that was right in front of her.

After all, he had never been what she expected.

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A/N: Like I said at the beginning, I had to write this and I hope no one is upset about how incredibly fluffy it is. My flyboy proposed yesterday (very much like Gibbs does in this story) and when I looked at my other works in progress, none of them seemed quite right for my current mood, so… The idea was to show an unexpected event (the proposal) interspersed with bits of the regular (their life - cars in the drive, flashlights in the hall closet, etc - just the little things that kinda go unnoticed sometimes).

Hope you all like, let me know.


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